The lineups
for 2013's PNC Summer Music Series
on Fountain Square — featuring live music from different genres for free
throughout the summer — have been coming out gradually. On April 30, we
announced through our music blog the lineup so far for the Friday night MidPointIndie Summer shows, presented by CityBeat and the MidPoint Music Festival.

The bad news for Indie Summer? The series kicks off on May 31 with the final show by
fantastic Cincinnati Indie Pop band Pomegranates.
The good news? It will also be the first show by Healing Power, Pomegranates' new name. That
opening Friday will also serve as a "release party" for great local
Indie crew The Yugos.
Christian altrockersSeabird will also use their Indie Summer show to celebrate the
release of a new album, the band's first independent release after a couple on
Credential Recordings/Universal Music Group. Northern Kentucky rockers Dept. Store Alligators will also put
out a new release in conjunction with their Aug. 16 appearance with Belle Histoire.

Local
restaurant/club chain 4EG will host "Happy Hour" parties on the
Square on Fridays as well, featuring local DJs and drink specials from 5-8 p.m.
Indie Summer concerts are open to fans of all ages and run from 8-11 p.m. Visit
myfountainsquare.com for the latest updates and further announcements.

May 31: Pomegranates/Healing Power; The Yugos; The Never
Setting Suns

June 7: We Were Promised Jetpacks; Tweens; Public

June 14: Seabird; Mike Mains & The Branches; TBA

June 21: Loudmouth; The Dopamines; The Lockland Brakes; BoyMeetsWorld

June 28: Psychodots; Cari Clara; The ReadyStance

July 5: Margot & the Nuclear So & So's and Matt
Pond with Matrimony

July 12: Plumb; more TBA

July 19: Wussy; Queen City Radio; TBA

July 26: Brian Olive and Man Halen with The Tongue
& Lips

Aug.2: The Seedy Seeds with The Guitars and the student band from Mason's School of Rock

Tracy Walker has been such a consistently
popular presence on the live music scene, it’s hard to
believe the Cincinnati singer/songwriter hasn’t put out a new release in a
decade. Ten years after her excellent sophomore album, All This Time, Walker finally entered the studio with
super-producer Erwin Musper and, now, she is ready to
start celebrating her third full-length release, Coetaneous Vibrations.

Walker has the kind of voice and writing talent that just
feels natural, so recording her might seem like an easy job. But Musper, as a really good producer should, truly pulls a lot
out of Walker, showing her to be an even more dynamic artist and performer. Previously,
Walker’s recorded material was always hard to describe, with elements of Folk,
Pop, Soul and Rock dancing together for her own singular style. But on Vibrations, Musper
fleshes out many of the tracks with a classic Soul/R&B vibe, enlisting some
top local players to create the crisp musical backdrop to Walker’s spine-chilling
vocals and songs (a handful of which were re-recordings from prior releases). Opening
track “All My Life” has the vintage punch of seminal Soul artists from the ’60s
and ’70s (and many of today’s revivalists), complete with a punctuating horn
section, while the ballad “Blue” drips with emotion over a slow-burning Blues groove
and tracks like “Hard Way” and “Brand New Life” are more upbeat and Pop/Rock-like,
suitable for radio airplay.

This
Thursday at 6 p.m., Walker will host an album release/listening party at The
Art of Entertaining (2019 Madison Ave., Oakley). The event will include snacks,
wine, beer and live acoustic music from Walker. Tickets
are $30. Seating is limited; for reservations, call 513-871-5170. You can also catch Walker
live around town in the coming weeks. Visit tracywalker.com for local dates and
more info on Coetaneous
Vibrations.

MidPoint
Music Festival News

• This
Friday, the first 10 or so artists booked for 2013's MidPoint
Music Festival — returning to the streets and venues of Over-the-Rhine
and Downtown Sept. 26-28 — will be announced. And longtime MPMF sponsor Dewey's Pizza will have the scoop. On Friday,
those wanting the info first should keep an eye on facebook.com/DeweysPizza.

• For artists wanting to be considered for a performance slot
at MPMF.13, the deadline is quickly approaching. Submissions will be accepted
until May 11 at 11:59 p.m. Visit mpmf.com or click here for directions.